Cohousing-L Mailing List: "Making" Community

[Harry Pasternak (Harry_Pasternak]

After having read many of the comments made about "community building"--here a
few notions and comments:
* That "community" has happened (and continues to thrive) long before
cohousing happened. The question then is: what are the factors that enables
the "good" communities around the world to successfully socialize and produce
the desired effect?
* The notion of making "Community happen by Committee" is NOT one of the
criteria that I believe you would find in the successfull "communities"
around the world. How many of you have attended a british summer camp for
adults?--every minute is planned with activities from rising to bedtime--with
whistles to keep you moving. The notion, that if you planned enough
activities together, that "community" then happens is without
validity--wishfull thinking. 
* The reality is: people need other people to socialize with, at differing
times on any given day (the specific time could differ for each and every
day); plus, the reasons that cause people to want to socialize will be
different from one day to the next. 
If someone needs to talk to someone--they need to talk NOW, not at
suppertime, not at bowling next saturday morning, its NOW. Does the design of
the homes and the immediate space around the homes, help or hinder the
opportunity for this person to talk to someone, NOW--without any involvement
of a third party? If that potential does not exist, the designer(s) has
failed miserably and should hand back their fee.
* For example, in one highly successfull neighborhood, all the homes had a
split "dutch" door, as well all the homes were attached on the sides and
faced walkways (no roads and cars here). The non- verbal signals in this
community were:
- Curtain pulled over glass upper panel of "dutch" door--I am not interested
in visitors right now.
- Curtain open-- if you want drop by for a minute and  say high, that's okay.
- Top portion of door open -- I definitely want somone to drop by and come in
and talk for a while.
* The only person in the world, as far as I know, who has extensive
research/information on this area is Jan Gehl.
Good luck
Harry Pasternak
Thousand Islands Institute
The Independent Centre For Housing Research & Education
(Harry_Pasternak [at] tvo.org)


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